Electronuclear fissile fuel production. Linear accelerator fuel regenerator and producer LAFR and LAFP

Technical Report · Sat Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6680961· OSTI ID:6680961

Steinberg, M; Powell, J R; Takahashi, H; Grand, P; Kouts, H J.C.

A linear accelerator fuel generator is proposed to enrich naturally occurring fertile U-238 or thorium 232 with fissile Pu-239 or U-233 for use in LWR power reactors. High energy proton beams in the range of 1 to 3 GeV energy are made to impinge on a centrally located dispersed liquid lead target producing spallation neutrons which are then absorbed by a surrounding assembly of fabricated LWR fuel elements. The accelerator-target design is reviewed and a typical fuel cycle system and economic analysis is presented. One 300 MW beam (300 ma-1 GeV) linear accelerator fuel regenerator can provide fuel for 3 to 1000 MW(e) LWR power reactors over its 30-year lifetime. There is a significant saving in natural uranium requirement which is a factor of 4.5 over the present LWR fuel requirement assuming the restraint of no fissile fuel recovery by reprocessing. A modest increase (approximately 10%) in fuel cycle and power production cost is incurred over the present LWR fuel cycle cost. The linear accelerator fuel regenerator and producer assures a long-term supply of fuel for the LWR power economy even with the restraint of the non-proliferation policy of no reprocessing. It can also supply hot-denatured thorium U-233 fuel operating in a secured reprocessing fuel center.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-02-0016
• OSTI ID: 6680961
• Report Number(s): BNL-24356; CONF-780354-2; TRN: 78-016338
• Resource Relation: Conference: Conference on emerging concepts in advanced nuclear energy systems, Graz, Austria, 29 Mar 1978
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
ACCELERATOR BREEDERS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FISSILE MATERIALS
BREEDING
COST
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
FERTILE MATERIALS
FUEL CYCLE
GEV RANGE 01-10
LEAD
LINEAR ACCELERATORS
PRODUCTION
PROTON BEAMS
TARGETS
ACCELERATORS
BEAMS
ECONOMICS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY RANGE
FISSIONABLE MATERIALS
GEV RANGE
METALS
NUCLEAR FUEL CONVERSION
NUCLEON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
430100* - Particle Accelerators- Design
Development
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050500 - Nuclear Fuels- Uranium Enrichment